(Clearwisdom.net)
In recent months, some new faces have showed up during Falun Gong events in Toronto, Canada. These new practitioners are clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to people on different occasions. Ms. Zhou, a senior at the University of Toronto, is one of them.
Ms. Zhou started to practice in late 2006. Without any recommendation from other people, she started to practice by herself.
"I found a videotape of Mr. Li Hongzhi's lecture on the Internet," she said, "and started to practice."
Going abroad at 14 to get an education
Ms. Zhou is her parents' only child, and they had great expectations for her. In 1999, they sent the 14-year-old to a high school in Singapore to continue her education.
Recalling her three-year stint in high school, Ms. Zhou said she paid a great deal of attention to personal improvement. She often read books on how to choose and lead a prosperous life. Still, there was some bitterness in her heart: she often felt unhappy when she encountered things she could do nothing about and did not know how to escape the feelings of anxiety.
"During those years in Singapore, I suffered a lot. I once thought: 'Is wealth and social status the only way to judge a person? There should be things that are more important, such as a heart for the common good.' After suffering more and more, however, I gradually became the same as other people."
Finding Falun Gong through The Epochtimes
Ms. Zhou came to Canada for college in 2004. In early 2006, a friend told her about The Epochtimes website. She visited the site several times and found it was a news website. "Compared to other Chinese websites, The Epochtimes is more credible, with in-depth coverage and analysis . Because of this, I liked it and read the news on its website everyday."
Ms. Zhou said, "Before Christmas 2006, The Epochtimes carried many New Year's greetings from Falun Gong practitioners to their Teacher. When I read them, I asked myself, 'Why did so many people send greetings to their Teacher?' That made me want to know more about Falun Gong. I went to the Google website and searched for information on Falun Gong and Mr. Li Hongzhi. Then I learned Falun Gong practitioners were all over the world, and the book "Zhuan Falun" had been translated into several dozen languages. I asked myself another question, 'More than 10 years have passed, and still many people are practicing Falun Gong. How likely is it that all of them were misled? Very unlikely.' Having answered my own question, I visited the Falun Gong websites and started to listen to the lectures online."
Back in 1998, Ms. Zhou had already heard about Falun Gong when she was in China. Soon afterward, the CCP began to persecute Falun Gong and all the media propaganda came out against Falun Gong. "Fortunately, I left China relatively early and was not poisoned much by the CCP's hate propaganda," Ms. Zhou said.
"At that time, I did not have the book Zhuan Falun, and I only watched the lecture video online. In the beginning, I felt what Teacher said was very high level and beyond my understanding. When I listened to it for the first time, I was almost shocked and could not remember much. Later, I came to understand that Teacher was teaching us to be a better person and there was nothing related to politics, so the following week I decided to listen to Teacher's lecture attentively and act according to it."
Benefiting both mind and body
"In the past, I tended to be narrow-minded when interacting with others. It was very easy for me to get into conflicts with classmates or friends. Since following Teacher's words, these previously unsolvable issues no longer exist." Zhou said, "I found many of my previous conflicts and unhappiness were actually because of me. Because of my own problems, things could not be solved."
"I began to get along well with other people,and often was able to keep my mind at peace. Before that, I was always cynical, thinking why this person did this to me and that person did that to me?"
When Ms. Zhou started to do the exercises, she learned the first exercise the first month, the second exercise the second month, and so on. Almost half a year later, she began to learn the fifth exercise.
"By then I already felt the physical changes in myself. For example, my skin became more delicate. Although I was already 20 years old, I grew two centimeters. Before I practiced, I spent lots of money and time on cosmetics, but I still I had blemishes. Now that I practice, sometimes even if I am tired or do not sleep much, my skin is fine. Now I no longer need to go to the gym. No matter how tired I am the day before, one night's sleep and I regain my energy and feel as if nothing had happened."
In the past, if Ms. Zhou read a lot for two or three days in a row, her eyes hurt. No longer.
Ms. Zhou said, "As I look back, it was the upright power of The Epochtimes that helped me get to know Falun Dafa. I came to understand that many conflicts in the society cannot be solved using everyday people's methods. Many phenomena in the society cannot be explained using everyday people's theories. Only Dafa can address and resolve these issues."
Let more people know the truth about Dafa
Ms. Zhou came from Beijing and she has been clear on the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). After beginning to practice, she didn't even dare to interact with other practitioners.
Ms. Zhou did not get to know other practitioners until the 2007 Mid-autumn Festival held by the Falun Dafa Association.
"After watching the performance at the festival, I told the event organizer, 'I am also a practitioner, and would like to help if needed.' From then on, I began to meet some Falun Gong practitioners in Toronto. I joined group Fa-study and did truth-clarification."
"I felt I have benefited a great deal from practicing Falun Gong. I need to contribute something and not be selfish." Zhou said, "In the past, I wasted lots of time on movies and being upset on my own. Now I began to join the efforts to validate the Fa and save sentient beings."
Last year, Ms. Zhou introduced Dafa to her mother and shared her experiences. Her mother has also begun to practice Falun Gong.
Ms. Zhou is in her fourth year at the University of Toronto. She also has a part-time job at a marketing and finance company. Speaking of how she has changed since beginning to practice, she said the biggest benefit is that she can maintain a peaceful mind.
"My life is much easier than in the past. For example, I used to think finding a job was a difficult thing, but now it is not."
Of her future plans, Zhou said since she started practice relatively late, she would put more effort on Fa-study and become more diligent in cultivation.
